Mobile filing cabinets are used for high-density storage of files which need to be easily accessed, such as medical or legal files. These cabinets are mounted on carriages which are secured in floor-mounted tracks so that they can be moved to access the contents of that or of another file cabinet. This mobility reduces the floor space needed for aisle space between cabinets.
In order to maximize the storage space, the cabinets have several levels of files, which may be stacked or hang within the cabinet. Consequently, the cabinets can be heavy when they are loaded with papers, and can have a relatively high center of gravity. In order to decrease a risk of tipping, the files can be provided with a secondary track which stabilizes the top of the cabinet.
In accordance with the present invention, an anti-tipping track and follower is provided which can advantageously be used in instances where the floor is not level. This anti-tip system has a captured puck which is pivotally connected to the cabinet so that the puck rotates in the track to compensate for a floor which may be angled. Thus, the present invention eliminates the need to build a sub-floor or to shim the cabinet track in order to create a level carriage surface.
Accordingly, it is on object of the present invention to provide an improved anti-tip system for use with mobile, high-density filing cabinets, and in particular for use in areas having non-level floor surfaces.
The anti-tip system in accordance with the present invention comprises a track and follower which is connected to a cabinet, and which includes means to compensate for a vertical rise in the floor supporting the cabinet. One particularly preferred means to compensate for such a rise comprises a pivotally attached arm which will change its angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the anti-tip track to compensate for a change in the angle of the longitudinal axis of the carriage means, and a follower which will rotate radially about the longitudinal axis of the anti-tip track.